N.S. to double funding for autistic children early therapy program

HALIFAX Funding for early intervention therapy for young children with autism is going to double over the next two years in Nova Scotia to help provide universal access to the program.

Premier Darrell Dexter says the province will gradually increase funding from $4 million a year to $8 million a year for the program.

The province had been offering access to the one-on-one therapy by psychologists, support workers and speech language pathologists, but pre-school children have been chosen by lottery because of a funding shortfall.

The province says only half the children who need the therapy are receiving it.

The announcement comes in response to a report by a team of advisers who called for improved services for people living with autism in a report issued last May.

That report included 53 recommendations aimed at helping the province deal with an increasing number people diagnosed with the complex neurological disorder.